Private Project

Time Flies

In this fast-paced comedy adventure, two flies with opposite personalities struggle to make the most of a 24-hour lifespan. The energetic A-fly rushes to complete every activity on a massive bucket list, whereas the introspective Z-fly searches for a deeper meaning, only to spiral into existential dread. As the sun starts to set, the flies panic that their time is running out. But in the end, a death defying-encounter forces them both to live in the moment while they still can.

  • LJ Burnett
    Director
  • Morgan Eng
    Supervising Producer
  • Claire Chong
    Art Director
  • Min Mei Buck
    Production Assistant
  • Ashley Hayden
    Animation Co-Director
  • Breanna Lawton
    Animation Co-Director
  • Jasmine Choiniere
    Clean Up Supervisor
  • Davis Hardy
    VFX Co-Supervisor
  • Kristian Kinley
    VFX Co-Supervisor
  • Anush Bhavsar
    Pantheon Supervisor
  • Amina Umirzhanova
    Story Artists
  • PeiLing Chen
    Story Artists
  • Anindita Maturi
    Visual Development Artists
  • Chiu Yi
    Visual Development Artists
  • James Yun
    Visual Development Artists
  • Malcolm Chan
    Visual Development Artists
  • Andy Leck
    Background Artists
  • Kendall Edwards
    Background Artists
  • Elyse Redwine
    2D Rough Animators
  • Evan Daly
    2D Rough Animators
  • Ja'Zaria "Momo" Hall
    2D Rough Animators
  • Paloma Poggione Biondi
    2D Rough Animators
  • Rocco Pizzuto
    2D Rough Animators
  • Stacia Black
    2D Rough Animators
  • Hope Lee
    3D Animators
  • Landon Boller
    3D Animators
  • Lauren Coursey
    3D Animators
  • Savanna Foote
    3D Animators
  • Chris Leoutsakos
    2D Clean Up Animators
  • Jas George
    2D Clean Up Animators
  • Josh Tywater
    2D Clean Up Animators
  • Mia Kaplow
    2D Clean Up Animators
  • Timos Stein
    2D Clean Up Animators
  • Uharn Tan
    2D Clean Up Animators
  • Allison Carson
    Pantheon Artists
  • Andrew Erbskorn
    Pantheon Artists
  • Ashley Suchan
    Pantheon Artists
  • Hanna Wang
    Pantheon Artists
  • Hoi Ching Ng
    Pantheon Artists
  • Noah Catan
    Pantheon Artists
  • Pia Evangelica
    Pantheon Artists
  • Steven Shen
    Pantheon Artists
  • Tessa Kissick
    Pantheon Artists
  • Yeong Yuh Lin
    Pantheon Artists
  • Kulin Mehta
    3D Generalists
  • Joaquín Laca
    3D Generalists
  • Sarah Putka
    3D Lighting Artist
  • Andrea Rosado
    Compositing Artists
  • Katherine Faye Nitti
    Compositing Artists
  • Mateo Solorzano
    Compositing Artists
  • Wyatt Clark
    Compositing Artists
  • Maxwell Switlyk
    Editors
  • Natalie Sanders
    Editors
  • Jordan Smajstrla
    Poster Artist
  • Emily Strycharz
    Publicity Artists
  • Greta Vaitulevicius
    Publicity Artists
  • Sergio Berrios
    Publicity Artists
  • John Weber
    Project Supervisor
  • Chris Gallagher
    Faculty Supervisors
  • Bernardo Warman
    Faculty Supervisors
  • Jonathan Standing
    Faculty Supervisors
  • Connor Bushoven
    Narrator
  • Cole Vakassian
    Composer
  • Eugenio Mirafuentes
    Co-Supervising Sound Editors
  • Blair Kirk
    Co-Supervising Sound Editors
  • Christian Mesiano
    Sound Effects Editors
  • Nicolas Kirchner
    Sound Effects Editors
  • Jo Romano
    Foley Artist
  • Allison Blum
    Re-Recording Mixer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Adventure
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 25 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    21:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Savannah College of Art and Design
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • SCAD Savannah Film Festival
    Savannah
    United States
    October 26, 2024
    World
    Official Selection
Director Biography - LJ Burnett

LJ Burnett is a storyboard and comic artist hailing from Northern Virginia. Raised on fantasy books, action-adventure graphic novels, and animated TV shows, LJ has always been captivated by stories and impassioned to create their own. While pursuing their BFA in Sequential Art at SCAD, LJ has constantly sought out collaborative opportunities outside the classroom, such as illustrating for a visual novel game, storyboarding for indie animation projects, or an editorial position at a grassroots comic publisher. Their curiosity for animation and passion for collaborative storytelling led them to join SCAD Animation Studios and pitch the story that would become “Time Flies.” When they’re not drawing or writing, LJ enjoys playing D&D, tabling at comic conventions, and scouring the internet for odd science facts.

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Director Statement

Time flies tells the story of two bugs with a one day lifespan, trying to make the most of their time before it runs out. Though they each have a different approach to living out their day, they share the immense pressure of their time limit, and they both panic that their time is running out. Of course, for a film about encroaching death, it’s far from all doom and gloom. Full of visual gags and slapstick comedy, Time Flies gave our artists loads of opportunities to have fun with their work.

Yet within the silliness of the story, there’s an earnestness about the flies’ struggle to make the most of their life. It’s not difficult for us to relate: we had a single year to make this project a reality and turn it into everything we dreamed it could be. With tight deadlines to meet, we had a lot of late nights, last minute do-overs, and difficult decisions on where we could afford to spend our time. For us over-achieving art students, the sentiment goes beyond just this project. Are we making the most of our college years? Can we make it in the industry after we graduate? Will we have our dream job by the time we’re thirty? What if we don't?

By the end of the day, the two flies get some perspective when they’re forced to stop worrying about the future and take a moment in the present. It goes to show that we can spend our time stressing over living life to the fullest, or actually living it. Luckily, the human lifespan is generally longer than 24 hours, so we’ve got a little time to figure it out.